The short film centers around Brenda Perez and Gerson Quinteros as they deliver a presentation on how to navigate challenges facing young undocumented immigrants. Their lives and stories are emblematic of the mission for immigration reform. As of 2012, they are in the United States as DACA recipients. This allows them to live without fear of deportation. The films examine their respective journeys to the US, anecdotes from their childhood, and how they are contributing to American society.

BRENDA VALERIA PEREZ AMADOR

AGE: 19

COUNTRY OF BIRTH: MEXICO

YEAR IMMIGRATED TO US: 2006

“I came to the Unites States, when I was 9 years old, along with my sister (8 years-old) and my brother (6 years-old). Our dad had taken us from Mexico City to the northern part of Mexico, where he handed us to a couple that we did not know.”

GERSON DE JESUS QUINTEROS

AGE: 20

COUNTRY OF BIRTH: EL SALVADOR

YEAR IMMIGRATED TO US: 2004

“I immigrated with my godfather and his wife. I came by buses and cars and then in Texas I cross a river by tube or raft. I came here because my grandmother who was taking care of me died and I was reunited with my mom here in the USA.”

Aura Alvarez

Using the presentation as a framework, the film cuts away to scenes of immigrant life in the district. Protests led by CASA de Maryland, prayer service at Shrine of the Sacred Heart, and an assembly at Capital City Charter School are all included.

The film features original poetry by Aura Alvarez and identity statements by Douglas Gonzalez, Feli Hernandez, Yanci Flores, and Miguel Castro.

"We are no longer dreamers because we are wide awake"

excerpt from the poem "Being an immigrant is not a sin" by Aura Alvarez

“My mother is a hero. She risked everything to give us a better life full of opportunities that we would never have had in Mexico."

“We are not criminals, we have learned from our parents example and right now they are in your office letting your staff and visitors know that when you attack immigrants, you attack America”

VIDEO PORTRAITS

RISERS video portraits are an approximately one-minute video. The portraits and identity statements allow the subjects to describe the cultural identifiers which make up their self-perception. Using national identity as a framework, their statements convey conditions of religion, sexuality, gender, and relocation. Possessing both tension and contradiction, they convey an unfiltered perspective of a new cultural style and Americanism.

Sisters Yanci and Carla Flores immigrated to the United States from El Salvador as young children. Yanci describes her identity as being "a mix of Salvadoran and American culture" and attributes her cultural awareness to the ethnic diversity of her community.

VIDEO

RISERS (2016)

EDUCATIONAL TALKS

Our talks focus on the importance of immigration reform and the challenges facing undocumented youth. If you are interested in having us speak at your school, please contact us via the contact form.

Group photo with Cosby Hunt's REAL WORLD HISTORY class

RISERS @ EL ZOL

JANUARY, 29 2017

Screening and Q&A

RISERS @ THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE

October 12, 2017

Screening and Q&A

RISERS with ZDF GERMAN TELEVISION

December 14, 2016

Screening and Q&A

RISERS @ MONTGOMERY COLLEGE

November 29, 2016

Screening and Q&A with faculty and staff.

RISERS @ CREATIVE TIME SUMMIT

OCTOBER 16, 2016

Andy Fernandez and RISERS lead the round table discussion "Engagement and Alliance-building in the Undocumented Youth Movement".

RISERS @ UNIVERSITY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

MARCH 24, 2016

Professor El-Kahwash invited us to screen the film to his "Diversity in the United States" undergraduate class. The screening was followed by a Q&A with students.

RISERS @ AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

OCTOBER 12, 2015

Professor Ludy Grandas invited us to screen the film to her graduate seminar class "Hispanos en los Estados Unidos". The seminar covers issues of identity, transnationalism, migration, and labor. Thank you to Professor Grandas and all the students who participated.

RISERS @ SPELLIGENT'S ELL INSTITUTE

AUGUST 3, 2015

On Monday August 3rd, RISERS co-lead Brenda Perez spoke at the ELL Institute hosted by SpELLigent™. The event centered around a series of sessions with topics such as, policy and legal issues for English language learners (ELLs); innovative instructional strategies; accessing the rigor of the common core; and family engagement.

Brenda Perez was asked to give opening remarks during the session "Framing the Conversation: The What, The Why and The How".

RISERS @ NOTRE DAME UNIVERSITY

JUNE 30, 2015

Gerson and Brenda were invited to speak to a class instructed by Professor Francisco Aragon, Notre Dame University. 4 Notre Dame students participated in the "reflection session". The students were in DC as part of a summer program. The discussion focused on Brenda and Gerson's journey to the UNited States, and how their undocumented status has not stopped them from achieving their goals.

RISERS @ MARET SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

Gerson and Brenda give a talk to Eliza Alexander's 11th grade AP Spanish class. The talk focused on immigration reform and what it means to be an activist.

RISERS @ CARDOZO HIGH SCHOOL

NOVEMBER 25, 2014

(iphone pictures)

A presentation to professor Cosby Hunt's "Real World History" class. The students are from different DCPS schools and are learning about the Great Migration, the movement of 6 million African Americans out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West. The concept was to make connections between these migrations of the first half of the 20th century and what is happening today with immigration.

RISERS @ MARET SCHOOL

OCTOBER 28, 2014

A presentation to Lynn Levinson's 12th grade Civil Liberties class.

(iphone pictures)

RISERS @ EDMUND BURKE SCHOOL

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

Brenda, Douglas and Gerson described what it was like to migrate to the United States, how DACA has made a positive impact on their lives, and what they are doing today to strengthen their community. After the assembly, Brenda and Andy spoke to an activism class and Gerson and Douglas spoke to an AP spanish class.

ANDY FERNANDEZ

RISERS is a short film and photography series by director Andy Fernandez. The son of Bolivian immigrants, he decided to focus on immigration reform after attending a reform rally in October 2013. In addition to RISERS, he has two works-in-progress, both focus on minority youth culture in Washington, DC.